The Mike Hosking Breakfast

New Zealand aren’t the only ones suffering from healthcare struggles. 

Italy released their 2025 draft Budget, and medical professionals in particular are unimpressed. 

Nurses and doctors went on a nationwide strike, drawing 85% of support according to trade unions. 

Italy Correspondent Jo McKenna told Mike Hosking that they’re saying not enough money has been allocated to healthcare, and they have insufficient resources to pay staff and keep the system functioning. 

She says the system is rather rundown, and waiting lists are a big problem in the public system, which a majority of the population uses. 

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It's ironic that we mention the Commerce Commission yesterday and here we are today, indulging in a bit more of its madness. 

Lines charges, the cost of getting power to your house, is going to get more expensive. 

Your bill will rise for the next handful of years by up to $85. That’s over $1,000 a year. 

Is your power better? No. 

Do you get more power? No. 

You just pay more. Why? 

Because the Commerce Commission decided they are going to let Transpower and local lines companies charge more so they can invest in new infrastructure. 

They will be allowed to raise just shy of $6 billion. 

There are a few ironies with this: 

1) We also, says the Commission, understand the importance of incentivising business to invest and improve and meet consumer demands. What?! You don’t think they would charge this and more if they could? 

And what incentive? Transpower are a monopoly. They have no incentive to improve anything. 

2) The $6 billion is way more than it should be. What should it be? Under $3 billion. 

Why? Because 55% of what Transpower is doing is because of higher inflation and interest rates. And what is 55% of $6 billion, roughly? 

Now, how did we get those? That’s right - Adrian Orr. 

If you want yet another tangible example, as the Labour Government and Adrian Orr years of incompetence roll on, then here you are. $3 billion worth, that is for nothing other than admin and fees. 

Stuff that should not have happened if the approach in Covid hadn't been as grandiose and wasteful and plain idiotic. 

More inflation than we ever needed, leading of course to interest rates we shouldn't have had to try and bring back to Earth, entirely as a result of the Covid approach that crippled the country. 

Yes, there are plenty of intangibles like morals, behaviours, mental health and school attendance. But we are also paying Transpower $6 billion to do what they should have done anyway. 

Awesome economics in an awesome economy. 

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A researcher believes international drug smugglers are flooding the New Zealand market, bringing prices down and availability up. 

The New Zealand Drugs Trends Survey found cocaine use is increasing, with 48% of respondents reporting they've used it at some point in their life. 

It finds meth's also dropping in price, with a gram becoming 36% cheaper over the past six years. 

Massey University drug researcher Chris Wilkins says the majority of Australia's meth comes from Mexican cartels. 

He says there's now an overlap for smugglers, importing meth and cocaine together. 

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Thursday 21st of November, the new Police Commissioner Richard Chambers reveals his plans for the next five years, and touches on the gang patch ban that came into effect overnight. 

Just how much meth, cannabis and cocaine are we consuming? We look at the annual drug trend survey. 

The Naked Chef Jamie Oliver hasn't done a New Zealand interview in eight years, so after the launch of his new cookbook, he joined Mike for a chat about his 25 years in the industry. 

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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There's a view Netflix isn't paying enough attention to New Zealand's screen industry. 

The movie and TV streaming corporation is setting up an office in Sydney to take care of Australia and New Zealand. 

So far, the content and commissioning has been heavily based across the ditch. 

Screen Production and Development Association President Irene Gardiner told Mike Hosking that some international productions have been shot in New Zealand, and they’ve bought the odd pre-existing show, when it comes to commissioning a local production they’ve had nothing but silence. 

She says that commissioning gives us intellectual property and export dollars - which is good for our economy. 

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Jamie Oliver has built a culinary empire. 

He’s a household name in the kitchen, writing 23 cookbooks and selling over 46 million copies. 

Oliver sprung into the spotlight 25 years ago with ‘The Naked Chef’, a BBC Two cooking show that ran for three series.  

He landed the role after he appeared in the background of a BBC documentary about The River Cafe in Fulham, where he was working as a sous-chef at the time.  

Oliver told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that he got lucky. 

“It was never planned,” he said. 

“I was never even supposed to be there that day ... Someone called in sick.”  

25 years on, Oliver says time has given him a bit more perspective, and he tends to lean more towards experience and wisdom a little more than just enthusiasm. 

Oliver is currently on tour in Australia, performing live shows to promote his newest cookbook ‘Simply Jamie’. Coming from a humble background, the chef told Hosking he never thought he’d be able to travel internationally in this way.  

“I never thought I’d get here,” Oliver said. 

“I just thought it was out of my reach.” 

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The Government's released a new child and youth strategy, with a focus on supporting children and their families in the first 2000 days.  

It aims to lift 17,000 children out of material hardship by 2027.  

2000 days is just over five years. 

Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston told Mike Hosking the Government needs to focus its efforts – if they attempt too many things, they won't achieve anything.  

She says this is a plan to work across government ministers' departments to get things done. 

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The Transport Agency's spending is in the spotlight. 

The Transport Minister's calling NZTA's costs “eye-watering” and excessive after revealing a near $800 million spend on traffic management over the past three years. 

Simeon Brown says a new framework is coming to reduce costs. 

Traffic Direct General Manager Dev Strause told Mike Hosking it will be made, but change doesn't happen overnight. 

He says it takes a bit of fine tuning to be able to redevelop and retrain all the workers, especially when some have been in the industry for over a decade. 

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Police have already acted on the new gang patch ban. 

The Gangs Act 2024 came into effect at midnight last night, banning the public wear of gang patches and insignia.  

New Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told Mike Hosking that at three minutes past midnight, Hastings police stopped a vehicle displaying gang insignia, and they are now facing prosecution. 

He told Hosking the person staff dealt with was respectful and followed the orders of police. 

“I’m happy with how that went, and I suspect there will be more to come,” he said. 

When asked whether he had enough resources to get the job done, Chambers said they will do their best with the staff they have. 

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Minister of Justice Paul Goldsmith says people who are convicted of sexual crimes getting name suppression is “a massive issue”. 

“Particularly for the victims, they can’t talk about what’s happened to them and they can’t warn others," Goldsmith told Mike Hosking. 

“We’ve decided you only get permanent name suppression if you’re a convicted sex offender if the victim agrees. And if the victim doesn’t agree? Well, tough luck, you’re not going to get it and you should own up to your crimes. 

“That’s the current law, that the views of the victim are taken into account. Sometimes it doesn’t get very far and the person who has been convicted continues to have their name suppressed forever. I just fundamentally disagree with that. 

“Our focus in government is to reduce the number of victims of violent and sexual offending.” 

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